Car-truck.



PATBNTED MAY 19,1903.

J. A. BRILL- GAR TRUCK AYPLIOATION FILED AUG. 18 1902.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IIVVENTOI? za' PATENTED MAY 19, 1903.

J. A. BRILL.

CAR TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOH 5/520", BY 9 2% A7TZOHNDEY NITED STATES Patented May 19, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

CAR-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 728,792, dated May 19, 1903.

Application filed August 18, 1902. Serial No. 120,041. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. BRILL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, (and whose post-office address is care of the J. G. Brill 00., in said city,) have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to car-trucks, and it has especial reference to trucks upon which electric motors are intended to be employed for the purpose of propelling the same.

The object of my invention is to provide improved means for the equalization of the contrary and conflicting stresses placed upon car-trucks by the action of the superposed car weight by irregularities in the road-bed and more especially, as will be hereinafter pointed out, the tendency of the truck-frame to vibrate vertically, caused either by the motor or by the application of brake-shoes.

It is highly desirable, especially with regard to trucks employed in city streets and also with respect to the proper support of the car-body thereon, that the wheel-base should be sufficiently small to allow sharp curves to be taken with safety and with as little radiation of the trucks with regard to the car-sills or side steps as possible. To this end the practice has grown up of mounting the motors outside the wheel-base-that is to say, with one end sleeved or supported upon one or both truck-axles, the other or free end being spring-supported from the end cross members of the truck-frame. It is also largely the practice, but not universally, to hang the brake-shoes from an element of the truckframe outside the wheel-base. From either or both of these causes either or both ends of the truck-frame are subjected to vertical movements, which are highly undesirable.

It is the object of my invention, therefore, to so organize a truck that these vertical movements of the truck-frame at either end will be resisted by suitably-arranged springs.

To this end my invention consists in a truck of the'usual or otherwise of desired con struction, in which a set of springs are employed and located beyond the wheel-base and adapted to act against a wholly or substantially stationary element of the truck during the vertical movement of the truckframe.

My invention therefore resides in the novel construction and combination of parts here inafter described, and further pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a truck embodying a preferred form of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective elevation of one end of the truck-frame. Fig. 4 is a like view'of the front of one of the axle-boxes, showing the pendent lug. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one end of a truck, illustrating a modified embodiment of my invention; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the front of one of the axleboxes thereof.

Similar reference characters represent corresponding parts throughout the several views.

I have shown in the accompanying drawings that my invention may be embodied in at least two ways. It may be employed in connection with a truck of usual or otherwise suitable construction. Such a truck may be constructed as follows: At 1 are the wheels, 2 the axles, and 3 the axle-boxes. The truck-frame may comprise the top bars 3 and the axle-box pedestals 4,having inner and outer arms 5 6, embracing the axle-boxes with sufficient looseness to permit the pedestals to have free movement with relation thereto without binding. The outer arms 6 of the pedestals have extensions 7, to which are secured cross-bars 8, having an outward flare 9 to give clearance for the support of the motor.

The bolster 10 (of any desired construction) may be supported upon the truck-frame in any desired way or as illustrated herein, wherein 11 are the longitudinally-disposed semi-elliptic springs supported from the side frame by extensible spring and swinging links 12, the links being adapted to'provide a resilient support for the ends of the semi-elliptic springs between the latter and the side frames of the truck, the link suspension being such as to permit the bolster to swing between the transoms 13 transversely and longitudinally to a sufficient degree to free the link-springs 14; and the semi-elliptic springs from all unnecessary strain except that of supporting the car-body.

Between the top of the axle-boxes and the axle-box pedestals are interposed the usual axle-box or pedestal springs 15 to provide resilient support for the truck-frame upon the axle-boxes.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention the axle-boxes maybe taken as a stationary or substantially stationary element of the truck, since they remain actually or substantially stationary with relation to the track, whereas the truck-frame is subject to vertical movement due to its spring-support and the springsupport of the car-body the reon. However, I do not limit myself to the employment of the axle-boxes for providing the stationary element of the truck, as such element may be otherwise derived.

The equalizing-springs 16 are located adjacent the axle-boxes, preferably outside the truck-wheel base, and these springs are so preferably located that they will be as near as convenient to the end of the truck-frame, or, in other words, they are preferably so located that the leverage exerted by the truck-frame in its vertical movements will be opposed by these springs at a point as close to the application of the power which causes the vibration as possible, thereby tending to arrest the vibration of the frame and reducing the power applied to these springs. From this it is evident that thesprings 16 cannot have their axis coinciding with the axis of the springs 15 nor are they under the axles. In other words, the springs 16 are out of vertical alinement both with the springs 15 and the axles. In the specific embodiment illustrated herein these cqualizing-springs 16 are seated upon extensions or projections from the truck-frame, which in the specific embodiment herein shown take the form of lugs or brackets 17, having downwardly-extending arms 18 and horizontal seats 19, the latter extending inwardly toward the axle-boxes, the brackets being preferably located, as shown, outside the wheel-base and forming part of (either integrally or otherwise) the extensions 7 of the truck-frame.

To provide means for connecting the axleboxes 3 with the tops of the springs 16, I may employ bars, as 20, the ends 21 of which pass through slots 22 23, formed in the lower extremity of each of the pedestal-arms 5 6 and which are of sufficient vertical extent to allow of the vertical vibration of the frame on the axle'boxes, (the arms preferably being slotted to their ends to permit ready assemblage of the truck,) the bars being secured in lugs 24, formed on the bottom of the axleboxes, so as to form a part thereof, through apertures 25, in which the bars pass, the outer ends 21 of the bars extending into the space between the frame extensions 7 and the bracket-seats 19 and which ends bear upon the tops of the equalizing-springs 16. The springs are seated in place by the usual caps 26 and cups 27.

Instead of employing the bars 20 the axleboxes may be at their sides provided with upwardly and outwardly extending lugs or projections 28, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which pass through the slots 22 in the outer pedestal-arms 6 and rest upon the top of the equalizing-springs in the same way. These lugs may be attached to or be formed integrally with the boxes.

It will be clear that the normal operation or support of the car-body on the truck and the general operation of thesame will not be effected by the interposition of these equalizing-springsin the spring system ofthe truck, since the equalizing-springs may be so adjusted as not to act in opposition to either the axle-box springs or the other truck-springs.

For the purpose of illustrating the operation of my invention in connection with an electric motor I have diagrammatically and in dotted lines illustrated one at 29, (one or both axles being likewise provided,) in which it is shown as sleeved in the usual way upon the axle and its free or forward end connected with a motor-bar 30, the latter in turn being supported on the end cross-bar S 9 of the truck. It will be apparentthat the vibration of the motor at its outer end, although to a certain extent resisted by the motor-springs, has a tendency to lift or depress one end of the truck-frame. A like action will take place if the brake-shoes are hung on the truck-frame, especially outside the wheel-base from. the end cross-bar. The action of either of these 'alone or both together will be ofiset by the equalizing-springs. The vertical lift or vibration of one end of the truck will be 0pposed by the equalizing-springs at one end, which, as before stated, are interposed between a stationary element of the truck and the movable portion-of the truck-frame, at which moment should this vibration be communicated to the other end of the truck-frame and tend to depress it the opposition of the axle-box springs to such movement at the downwardly-moving end will not he hindered or impeded by the equalizing-springs.

In trucks of the class herein illustrated, in which the semi-elliptic springs and swing and spring-links are employed, the end vibration of the truck-frame, due. to brakeaction, is to a considerable extent overcome, and the addition of my improvements to a truck thus constructed will practically do away with the upward movement or throw of the ends of the truck-frame and at the same time completely absorb any jars to prevent them from being communicated to the bolster supporting springs and to the car-body. In trucks not thus equip pedas, forinstance, in the Master Oar-Builders standard truck, wherein the bolster is supported by springs and unyield- ICC axles, side frames, axle-boxes having projections, springs resting on said axle-boxes supporting said frame immediately over the axles, and equalizing-springs between said projections and a portion of the frame.

2. In a car-truck, the combination with the axle and axle-boxes, of a truck-frame springsupported upon the axle boxes, the frame having axle-box pedestals, arms extending from the truck-frame beyond the pedestals, projections from the axle-boxes, and additional springs interposed between said arms and projections and in vertical disalinement with the axles.

3. The combination in a truck, of the axles, wheels and axle-boxes, the frame having axlebox pedestals, arms extending from the axlebox pedestals, projections from the axle-boxes extending beyond the wheel-base of the truck, projections from the truck-frame also located outside the wheel base of the truck, and springs interposed between the axle-box projections and frame extensions and adapted to oppose the upward movement of the truckframe.

4. The combination in a truck, of the axles, wheels and axle-boxes, a frame-spring supported upon the axle-boxes, the frame having axle-box pedestals, projections from the axleboxes extending beyond the wheel-base of the truck, arms extending from the truck-frame also located outside the wheelbase of the truck; and springs interposed between the axle-box projections and frame extensions or arms and adapted to oppose the upward movement of the truck, and an outside hung motor.

5. The combination in a truck, of the axles,

wheels and axle-boxes, a frame-spring supported upon said axle-boxes, the frame having axle-box pedestals, projections from the axle-boxes extending beyond the wheel-base of the truck, arms extending from the truckframe also located outside the Wheel-base of the truck, springs interposed between the axle-box projections and said arms, and adapted to oppose the upward movement of the truck-frame, leaf-springs, and coil-springs interposed between the ends of the leaf-spring and truck-frame, and a bolster on the leafsprings.

6. In a car-truck, the combination with the Wheels, axles, axle-boxes, the truck-frame having axle-box yokes or pedestals, springs interposed between the pedestals and axle-boxes, the extensions of the frame extending beyond the pedestals, the pendent brackets having horizontal seats, projections from the axleboxes extending outwardly over said seats, and springs extending between said seats and axle-box projections.

7. In a car-truck, the combination in a truck having wheels and axles,axle-boxes,of a frame having axle-box yokes or pedestals and arms extending therefrom, springs supported upon the axle-boxes, projections from the axleboxes extending through slots formed in the outer arms of the pedestals, seats supported by said arms below the axle-box projections, and springs extending between said seats and said axle box projections.

8. In a car-truck, the combination with the wheels, axles, and axle-boxes, a frame having axle-box yokes or pedestals, brackets extending from the outer arms of the pedestals apertnred lugs on the axle-boxes, slots formed in the pedestal-arms, seats supported from the brackets, bars supported by the axle-box lugs and extending through and beyond the slots in the pedestal-arms, and springs interposed between said bar extensions and said seats.

9. In combination, in a car-truck, with the top frame, wheels, axles, pedestals, and journal-boxes, equalizing-bars comprising a pair of spaced members supported by the-journalboxes, one upon each side of the car-truck, truck side frames, and springs located outside the wheel-base of the truck and interposed between said equalizer-bars and said side frames.

Signed in the city and county of Philadel phia, State of Pennsylvania, this 14th day of August, 1902.

JOHN A. BRILL. Witnesses:

TERRENOE MCCUSKER, WM. J. FERDINAND. 

